How cheap are the principles for which we do not have to fight, how easy it is to establish codes when all the while our freedom to talk had been fought for and bled for by others.”
–Louis L’Amour
“Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Fear God instead.”
–Ecclesiastes 5:7 (NLT)
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“An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends; he defies all sound judgment. A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.”
–Proverbs 18:1-2
One of the man differences between the godly and the fool is that the godly pursues unselfish ends. He delights in the Lord. Wait a minute, you may say…there are plenty out there who give unselfishly and are not Christians. Ahh, but are they truly giving out of unselfish motives. The godly person wants to separate unto holiness; to give because of Christ.
How about a fool? It seems they are coming out of the woodwork. Howling at the sky, confused as to gender identity. The fool listens to his own opinions. He is self-directed and pursues his purposes. If a fool comes to you to give you advice, consider the source.
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I’ve often heard people say that they don’t get anything out of church. Or, when you leave people will ask, “How did that sermon make you feel?” Feeling has nothing to do with it. Oh, once in a while it’s good to have the doo-dads, but we are to grow in faith and grace, not feeling. I see basically two reasons people might not get anything out of a service.
If the preacher is preaching, and the listener is listening there should be an encounter with God! The problem then, is either the preacher is not preaching the pure Word of God, or the pew-sitter is not listening. That’s one of the reasons people jump from church to church; they want to hear what they want to hear. Phooey on the preacher who preaches God’s Word.
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1731, a great hymn-writer was born–William Cowper. God used him in a mighty way; yet the man suffered from severe depression. When taking a civil service exam he attempted suicide. He was placed in an asylum and that is where he was converted. Interesting, he had a good friend who had once been a slave-trader, John Newton. Together, they produced a hymnal.
Even as he wrote he would lapse into deep depression. He lived a life where he always wondered when he mind would snap. Amazing isn’t it? How a man who wrote some great hymns that were filled with tranquility and trust in God, lived his life fearing he would go mad.
(taken from The Christian History)